CSEN406

REQUIREMENT
ENGINEERING
ELICITATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS

01 ELICITATION

02 ELICITATION PLANNING

03 ELICITATION TECHNIQUES

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 2

ELICITATION
= GATHERING

the practice of researching and

discovering the requirements of a system
from different sources such as users,
customers, domain experts, other
stakeholders, documentation, and
examining existing systems…etc.

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 3

NEEDS
No of users, functions,
features

CONSTRAINTS
TIME, COST

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 4

PLAN ELICITATION
ELICITATION OBJECTIVE
DOCUMENTS NEEDED

PLANNED TECHNIQUES
ELICITATION RISKS

SCHEDULE

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 5

Activities for a single requirement elicitation session

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 6

CLASSIFYING CUSTOMER INPUT

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 7

 HOW DO YOU
KNOW WHEN
YOU ARE DONE?!

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 8

ELICITATION
TECHNIQUES

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 9

System Interface
interviews Workshops
Analysis

Document Surveys &

ELICITATION
Analysis Questionnaires

User Interface
Observation Focus Groups
Analysis

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 10

TECHNIQUE / PROJECT

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 11

INTERVIEWS

Prepare Questions

What is the system?

Prepare Straw man Stay in How will the system solve the problems?
models Scope
What are the goals of the system?
How the system will be used daily?
What are the problems?
What are the constraints on the system?
Suggest Actively Establish
Ideas Listen Rapport How the work is done now, its frequency,
transaction volume?
Any performance considerations?

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 12

WHAT ARE THE
INTERVIEWS
MISTAKES?

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 13

WORKSHOPS
Timebox Use parking
Stay in Scope
Discussions lots
Workshops are facilitated sessions
with multiple stakeholders & formal Plan an
roles. Fill All the team roles
Agenda
Include several types of stakeholders,
from users to developers to testers. Keep everyone engaged

Resource Intensive, must be planned

well. Rarely useful to start on a clean Small Team, right stakeholders
slate. Use other methods prior to it.

Establish & Enforce Ground Rules

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 14

WHAT ARE THESE ROLES?

FACILITATOR TIME KEEPER FOCUS MAKER

NOTE TAKER AGITATOR OBSERVER

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 15

FOCUS GROUP
A focus group is a representative group of
users who convene in a facilitated
elicitation activity to generate input and
ideas on a product’s functional and quality
requirements

Focus groups are useful for exploring

users’ attitudes, impressions, preferences,
and needs

They are particularly valuable if you are

developing commercial products and don’t
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
have ready access to end users within your
company.

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 16

OBSERVATION

Harder to describe, easier to do.

Tasks are habitual.

Observations are time consuming.

Important or high-risk tasks.

Silent or interactive

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 17

QUESTIONNAIRS

Survey large groups of users to understand their needs.

They are inexpensive

Administered easily across geographical boundaries.

The analyzed results can be used as an input to other elicitation techniques.

Preparing well-written questions is the biggest challenge with questionnaires

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 18

WHAT ARE THE
CONSIDERATIONS
FOR A GOOD
QUESTIONNAIRE?

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 19

SYSTEM INTERFACE ANALYSIS

Examine the systems to which your system

connects.

System interface analysis reveals functional

requirements regarding the exchange of data
and services between systems

Identify functionality in the other system that might lead to requirements for your
system.

These requirements could describe what data to pass to the other system, what data
is received from it, and rules about that data.

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 20

USER INTERFACE ANALYSIS
▪ Study existing systems to discover
user & functional requirements.

▪ Interact with the existing systems

directly

▪ If necessary, you can use screen shots.

▪ No current system? look at similar

DO NOT ASSUME
products. Certain functionality is needed in the new
system.
▪ Help draft use cases to review with
A flow must be implemented same way the
users. future system

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 21

DOCUMENT ANALYSIS
Examining existing documentation for
potential software requirements.

Documents can describe corporate, industry

standards, or regulations with which the
product must comply.

Comparative reviews help gain a

competitive advantage.

Document analysis can reveal information

people don’t tell you.

SRS
User Manuals Drawbacks include out-of-date and poorly
Development Documents written (not very thorough) documentation
…..etc.

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 22

WHAT IS
ETHNOGRAPHY?
WHAT IS IT USED FOR?

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 23

WHAT IS USE
CASE DIAGRAM?
WHEN DO WE
USE IT?

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 24

 What are the
characteristics
of your
gathered
requirements?
Dr. JOHN ZAKI 25
SMART
Specific, measurable, agreed upon, realistic, time-based

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 26

COMPARE THE
DIFFERENT
METHODS OF
ELICITATION.
USE FACTORS SUCH AS KEY BENEFITS,
ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES.

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 27

SUMMARY

01 REQ. ELICITATION

02 ELICITATION PLANNING
BEFORE THE SESSION, IN THE SESSION, AFTER THE SESSION.

03 ELICITATION TECHNIQUES
INTERVIEWS, QUESTIONNAIRES, DOCUMENT ANALYSIS, WORKSHOPS, FOCUS GROUPS….ETC

Dr. JOHN ZAKI 28

THANK
YOU
Dr. JOHN ZAKI 29